Hi,

I need help from Fanatic experts....

I was about to order a 14'x26,5 Flatwater Carbon as I wanted a square tail board, but the Danish dealer is telling me that thais model is pin tail... I'm confused as all Flatwater pictures are showing square tail.

Has anyone such a board and could confirm what tail it is? pics would be apreciated...

thanks

Yup, the 14' x 26" has the square tail.

It is a square tail so tell your dealer to look in his book!!

I have seen 2 weeks ago all Fanatic Flatwaters (14 24+26 and a 12.6) IRL and they all have a square tail.
On some XXX sites you see pics of Thais models with a unexpected pin between there tail, maybe that was givving the confusion ;).

www.instagram.com/p/lZGUQiu1IH/

Good friends of the Caveman, Wetspot Water Sports here in Canberra got a Flatwater 14x26 in yesterday and the link above will take you to a couple of photos showing the junk in the trunk

Thanks all, and Caveman for the pics. It just can't be more obvious...

This is the tail on the new Flatwater 24.

Here's a few more pics of the flat water.

Other pictures on Instagram @ fanaticsupaustralia

Thanks all, board is ordered, arriving latest next week... Can't wait!

Can't wait to try the 14' x 24" this weekend at Harry's Paddle. Cheers mr Bennett and Fanatic!! :)

has anyone on or near the sunny coast got a falcon flat? im keen to run one down the 200 and 500 course.... but there are none around.. its hard to know how they go until there is some times posted? we have run a starby sprint, naish le's and jav but no fanatic yet...

Should get some times of these boards in Adelaide next week as all the flatwater boards will be down there.

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skebstebamal said...
has anyone on or near the sunny coast got a falcon flat? im keen to run one down the 200 and 500 course.... but there are none around.. its hard to know how they go until there is some times posted? we have run a starby sprint, naish le's and jav but no fanatic yet...

Maybe we should just buy sprints as we know they work at the lake as beau demonstrated...

For sure jacko, can't wait to give it a crack on the sprints. I have never timed myself over a sprint distance. Should be good fun!!

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RJK said...

skebstebamal said...
has anyone on or near the sunny coast got a falcon flat? im keen to run one down the 200 and 500 course.... but there are none around.. its hard to know how they go until there is some times posted? we have run a starby sprint, naish le's and jav but no fanatic yet...

Maybe we should just buy sprints as we know they work at the lake as beau demonstrated...

haha.. stiring the pot rjk. but yes, out of the boards ive tested it lives up to its name. the difference from even the 2013 to 2014 was evident.

Good review on the Flatwater board on our page from the Examiner.com

www.facebook.com/JackoAngie

Some time ago I was asked how the new Flatwater would go downwind and I couldn't really reply as I hadn't tried it. Over the weekend I had an opportunity to compare the Falcon Open Ocean 24.75 against the Falcon Flatwater 24 in downwind conditions and I was pleasantly surprised. To put some perspective on this comparison it was done on an inland waterway and not the ocean. The Flatwater is certainly not designed as a downwind board, however, if you paddle in a location with small chop and runners it could be a great Flatwater board that may allow you to enjoy the odd downwinder. Pittwater is situated 30 minutes Nirth of Sydney and the run I did is approx 8.5km long. It begins in a sheltered location and as you continue to paddle the wind and waves increase. Both days saw small chop up to just below knee high and nearly 15 knots of wind.

There have been plenty of reports on the Open Ocean 24.75 and it certainly lived up to expectations. As we have a few downwind events coming up on inland or protected waters that involve a bit of flatwater paddling I wanted to see how the Falcon Flatwater 24 would cope. On the flat part of the run the board obviously came into its own. As the wind and bumps increased the board surprised me. Due to it not having the rounded nose and thin tail the FW 24 does tend to run into the bump in front but with a quick step back or a change of direction across the wave it will continue to run. On the bigger bumps you can feel the tail lifting and the nose does tend to dig in a little but it does not self steer or bog down in the fashion that earlier Falcons sometimes did.

Considering this board is 24 inches wide it was surprisingly stable, however, any side waves or directional changes did keep me on my toes. At one stage I paddled straight through a fleet of yachts beating to windward and the large amount of cross chop was relatively easy to negotiate.

As a Flatwater board the Falcon Flatwater certainly excels, but if you occasionally do a DW in small conditions it will still provide you with plenty of excitement. In comparing it to the Falcon Open Ocean 24.75 it does not have the same DW capability in larger swell. The 2 boards have been designed with entirely different conditions in mind and they both achieve what they were designed for. The big advantage with the Falcon 24.75 Open ocean design is that it is a superb all rounder. It is great in the open ocean for a proficient paddler and it is also fast on the flat. Larger riders or those riding larger ocean swells will find the open ocean 27.25 more to their liking. I prefer to ride the wider board when the swell is running. The stability of the wider board helps you concentrate on your stroke and as Dave Kissane once said to me "It doesn't matter how fast your board is, if you're in the water you aren't moving"

I'm of average ability as a paddler, 6'1" , 83kg and 50+. I also am associated with Fanatic. I'm one of there older team riders. I hope this helps anyone looking at the various boards in the Fanatic range. My best advice is demo everything you can. All sizes and all brands. What might be right for one person may not be right for you.

Hi NNSUP,

I choose a FW 14*26,5 as I mainly paddle calm waters. But I recently got to try it on the same type of course as you, and i agree that it deals very well with the challenge of an "inland"DW. Fell in two times in a row until I understood what I was doing wrong and then I got some good surfs. Do not hesitate to step back to lift the nose, and step forth to catch the runners. I found that it requires to moove a lot forth and back, maybe more than a DW board. Just need now to try it on an open water DW.

Do you use the original fin?

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JBCT4 said..

Hi NNSUP,

I choose a FW 14*26,5 as I mainly paddle calm waters. But I recently got to try it on the same type of course as you, and i agree that it deals very well with the challenge of an "inland"DW. Fell in two times in a row until I understood what I was doing wrong and then I got some good surfs. Do not hesitate to step back to lift the nose, and step forth to catch the runners. I found that it requires to moove a lot forth and back, maybe more than a DW board. Just need now to try it on an open water DW.

Do you use the original fin?

Yes. I've been using the regular "One" fin.

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NNSUP said..

JBCT4 said..

Hi NNSUP,

I choose a FW 14*26,5 as I mainly paddle calm waters. But I recently got to try it on the same type of course as you, and i agree that it # very well with the challenge of an "inland"DW. Fell in two times in a row until I understood what I was doing wrong and then I got some good surfs. Do not hesitate to step back to lift the nose, and step forth to catch the runners. I found that it requires to moove a lot forth and back, maybe more than a DW board. Just need now to try it on an open water DW.

Do you use the original fin?

#. I've been using the regular "One" fin.

Keep at it NNSUP
Sounds like your getting the hang of it.....

Thanks for the report NNSUP.
How do you think the flatwater compares to the ocean for paddling into the wind or across it?
Also is it a noticeable speed difference in the flatwater?

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mv1169 said..

Thanks for the report NNSUP.
How do you think the flatwater compares to the ocean for paddling into the wind or across it?
Also is it a noticeable speed difference in the flatwater?

Sorry for the long delay in replying. I havent checked the Breeze for a while. Into the wind the flatwater is certainly superior. Across the wind I think I actually prefer the open ocean board as it doesn't track quite as much.

If you could only get one board I'd be getting the thin open ocean.

(Keep at it NNSUP Sounds like your getting the hang of it.....) Thanks Mr Dorries - slowly. Just need to stretch more. Speaking of stretching, you should check out Instagram @ fanaticsupaustralia. I believe you might feature on it over the next couple of days. Something about older paddlers needing to stretch.

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NNSUP said..

mv1169 said..

Thanks for the report NNSUP.
How do you think the flatwater compares to the ocean for paddling into the wind or across it?
Also is it a noticeable speed difference in the flatwater?

Sorry for the long delay in replying. I havent checked the Breeze for a while. Into the wind the flatwater is certainly superior. Across the wind I think I actually prefer the open ocean board as it doesn't track quite as much.

If you could only get one board I'd be getting the thin open ocean.

(Keep at it NNSUP Sounds like your getting the hang of it.....) Thanks Mr Dorries - slowly. Just need to stretch more. Speaking of stretching, you should check out Instagram @ fanaticsupaustralia. I believe you might feature on it over the next couple of days. Something about older paddlers needing to stretch.

Thanks. And whats the use in having a dig if your not on Seabreeze enough. Phfff

Ok, so I finally got a spin on the 24" flat. Its a good thing for me. Im mid 90's kg and 6'3 and found it very stable (and I'm not overly well balanced) I have had good results in the lake timetrial, and im pretty excited about it it in short sprints...it comes up on the plane really well. Someone who's fit could really keep it motoring. Once settled into a marathon pace, I dont think it has the glide of the current 24" SB sprint, BUT, for my size I am a bit sketchy and wobbly on the SB. So for me I would prefer the flat.

I tried it in the surf and it doesn't turn. Its not designed to, so no real problem, I guess I was sort of hoping I could DW it and have just one board. But I don't think it will replace my DW board. If you've got some serious skills at walking around on a board, then maybe it will be good in light DW, but for me who tends to prefer a auto pilot DW board, its doesn't work.

All in all I loved it. I think for big guys its awesome in the flat, it allows larger less stable people to get onto a narrow board which carries some speed.

(not sponsored by fanatic.... just a punters review)

@skeb that's pretty much word for word how I would have described it!!! :)
Perfect flat water board for a taller/bigger paddler. Very quick and soooo bloody stable!! :)

I took the 24" wide flat water out around the regular JPP 5.0 time trial course yesterday. Stability is fantastic for a 24 inch wide board, I am 90kg and 6'2" actually found it was quite good to turn too, due to the width at the back of the board you can get back quite easily. Was surprised I didn't paddle a faster time around the course though given the conditions and the width of the board, I am an average middle of the pack paddler and I would say that it was a solid but not record shattering on the gps. Might have needed a bit more experience to get the best out of the board, but it did seem very easy to get into a rhythm paddling it. Not sure I would be able to paddle many other boards that width that comfortably.


Normally paddling a Suplove flatwater stingray salt which is 27.25" and a 2012 Naish Glide when it gets a bit more bumpy.